REVIEW: The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson

Title: The Accidental Beauty Queen
Author: Teri Wilson
Narrator: Joy Osmanski
Publisher: Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books
Publication Date: December 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Charlotte Gorman loves her job as an elementary school librarian and is content to experience life through the pages of her books. Which couldn’t be more opposite from her identical twin sister. Ginny, an Instagram-famous beauty queen, has been chasing a crown since she was old enough to say "world peace" and she’s not giving up until she wins Miss American Treasure. But when Ginny has a face-altering allergic reaction the night before competition, Charlotte suddenly finds herself in a switcheroo the twins haven’t successfully pulled off in decades.

Woefully unprepared for the glittery world of hair extensions, false eyelashes, and push-up bras, Charlotte realizes, after walking a mile in her twin's sky-high stilettos, there might be more to the pageant circuit than just a sparkly crown . . .

My Thoughts: I absolutely adored this story. I love a story that not only entertains me with a unique plot but is full of characters that are easy to relate to and love as well. There wasn’t one unlikable character in this story and I was expecting at least one snarky, rude character, especially given that this story takes place at a beauty pageant. No villains lurking in the shadows waiting to sabotage the main characters, no slimy ex relationships showing up to ruin everything.

This story is also full of Harry Potter references which I didn’t know when I selected this book for this year’s reading. The fact that the main heartthrob, Gray, calls Charlotte Hermione made my muggle heart all aflutter. There’s also a dog. A French Bulldog named Buttercup and she is quite the scene stealer.

The only area someone could find an issue in this story is the deception Charlotte and Ginny perpetrate by having Charlotte pose as Ginny and compete in the pageant. A severe allergic reaction is a good reason, but it’s still unethical and, to be honest, I wouldn’t give this story a perfect rating if it were for any other reason. Everything plays out so well, especially between Gray and Charlotte, that I really wasn’t focused on the fact that Charlotte was posing as Ginny and competing in the pageant. Charlotte was so awkward, not being a beauty queen type that I was surprised that she wasn’t outed or eliminated in the beginning.

I paired the reading of this book with the audio format narrated by Joy Osmanski. Her performance was amazing. She kept me engaged in the story and made the characters sound and feel realistic. Teri Wilson crafts a story that checks off all the boxes for me with storyline, likable characters and scenes that gave me all the feels. I will be looking for more books by this author.

My Final Verdict: I highly recommend this fantastic story to readers who love stories that make them laugh and cry. Readers who love dogs and Harry Potter will appreciate stories featuring characters that do too.

Thank you to the publisher, Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: The Brazilian by Rosie Millard

Title: The Brazilian (The Square #2)
Author: Rosie Millard
Publisher: Trafalgar Square Publishing
Publication Date: June 2017
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon

Description: Following a sensational scandal at one of London's most desired postcodes, Jane and Patrick decide to escape the gossip with a family holiday to Ibiza, their eight-year-old son George in tow.

Also on the island that week is a TV reality show involving an eccentric artist, a horny It Girl, a Brazilian footballer and a famous magician.

As hapless celebrities are picked off one by one, Jane is desperate to be on the program, leaving childcare in the not so capable hands of a teenager.

One lesbian escapade and an explosive row over hair removal later, the contestants of Ibiza or Bust leave the island with more than sand in places they never knew existed...

My Thoughts: I’m giving this book 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I think if I had read the first book in this series, The Square, first, I would have enjoyed this story more and had a better understanding of the characters and their perspective. As best as I can gather, this story picks up not long after the first book ends and the events in the first book play heavily in this story.

I absolutely loathed Jane. I found her to be the most shallow and selfish person I have crossed paths with in a very long time. She is one of those people who would likely die or kill for image and she absolutely values her own advancement and her image over everything else. Her marriage and her child take a backseat in Jane’s life. Hiring a teenage neighbor to accompany them on a family vacation to Ibiza for babysitting illustrates for me a woman who only cares about herself. When she finds out two of her neighbors are going to be filming a reality show on the island, she is positively livid that it isn’t her and she goes out of her way to insinuate herself into the show every chance she gets.

The supporting characters of Jane’s husband, Patrick, and her son, George and their babysitter, Belle, were likable and the contestants and crew on the reality show brought an interesting aspect to the story.

This book moves at a fairly quick pace and is easy to follow and in spite of my aversion to Jane, I laughed out loud many times. I enjoyed the detail the author gives to the island of Ibiza which gave me a real sense of being there.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I found this book to be OK. If you choose to read this, I recommend that you read The Square first. Readers who like their books full of wacky characters and over the top behavior will enjoy this story.

Thank you to the publisher, Trafalgar Square Publishing, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Sheer Mischief by Jill Mansell

Title: Sheer Mischief
Author: Jill Mansell
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: July 2018
Genre: Chick Lit / Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: It's not that Janey Sinclair isn't happy to see her sister—she just wishes that she could have arrived in a less dramatic fashion. Waking up at seven a.m. to Maxine waiting at the door wearing a borrowed wedding dress and with a police escort wasn't how Janey planned to start her Sunday.

Still, life's never dull when Maxine's around, and Janey, who's rebuilding her life, is delighted that her sister's back in town. So when Maxine sets her sights on glamorous fashion photographer Guy Cassidy, Janey knows there's no limit to the mischief her sister will make in order to dispatch the competition. Little do they know that the competition is a lot closer to home than they think...

My Thoughts: This was such a delightful story that led me through several storylines with minor characters. In addition to the aww factor and humor I have come to expect from this brilliant author, I also got a little teary eyed and choked up. An author who can successfully draw out multiple emotions from the reader is an author that should be on everyone’s to be read list.

Janey and Maxine are sisters but are so different in personality, morals and ethics that I would never suspect they were related had I not known this going in. Where Janey is down to earth and grounded in her life, Maxine is very flighty and, at times, very selfish. I was surprised at how much I actually liked Maxine, however, but underneath her vain exterior she deeply cares about her sister and wants the best for her.

I thought Guy Cassidy was an intriguing character and his children were wonderful characters. I remained in the dark for most of the book with the direction the author was taking this character and have to applaud how it turned out because it was so apparent that Maxine had her sights on him, I could not picture Maxine as stepmother material.

In addition, the author created very vibrant and interesting characters with Bruno, the flirtatious restaurant owner, who is trying to seduce Janey even though he is in a relationship. Sculptress Thea, Janey and Maxine’s mother, who meets Oliver, Guy’s estranged father, and begins a whirlwind affair. Janey’s husband, Alan, who vanished without a trace two years ago and has left Janey wondering what life has in store for her next.

This story moves at a fairly moderate pace and I found the character’s behaviors appropriate for the situations they were in. I also thoroughly enjoyed the backstory about Guy and Oliver’s relationship as well as Thea’s with Janey and Maxine’s father. This story had so many details to take in but Mansell’s writing made it easy for the reader to understand all of the characters.

My Final Verdict: I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy happy endings even if the road getting there is long and twisty. Readers who enjoy contemporary romance and women’s fiction will enjoy the relationship driven plot of this story. Having read many of this author's books now, I am always excited to see her name come up in my new release notifications.

Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.